It鈥檚 not exactly how you want to endear yourself to your new pro golfing brethren, but a guy has to do what he has to do.
When Aaron Cockerill made a nasty 20-foot, downhill, left-to-right slider of a putt in Friday鈥檚 round of the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by the sa国际传媒, the Gunton, Man., native moved the cut-line from even-par 140 to 1-under 139 over the first two days.
That one stroke 鈥� that came while playing in the final group 鈥� knocked 18 fellow pros out of the chance to play the weekend.
Cockerill had just turned pro this past week after he qualified on Monday to get in at Gorge Vale Golf Course. His introduction to the tour might have ruffled some feathers.
鈥淚 was waiting on the first tee [Saturday] and I heard one of the players [who was watching] say he was even-par Friday until somebody made a putt on 18 that cut him.
鈥淚 put my hand up and had to laugh a little,鈥� said Cockerill, who played at the University of Idaho.
He was guilty as charged.
鈥淚 saw the cut was at even [where he stood before making the putt] but I didn鈥檛 know it would knock all those guys out. I just put a little pace on the putt and it fell.鈥�
The 18 players right on the cut-line also toppled, including Riley Wheeldon of Comox, who now plays out of Bear Mountain.
Cockerill, meanwhile, has recorded rounds of 68-71-68 for a 3-under 207 total in his pro debut.
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GIFT THAT LASTS
There were a pair of pretty happy young campers back on the Uplands Golf Club property on Saturday.
Connor Carroll, eight, and brother Carson Carroll, five, experienced the treat of walking the course with the pros in Round 3.
Along with mom, Cindy, and dad, Dana, the two tagged along inside the ropes at the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour sa国际传媒 event.
Carson had won that opportunity through a Thrifty Foods youth golf clinic.
What was an even bigger thrill came on Friday as the siblings enjoyed Round 2 with dad as spectators.
On the 11th hole, pro Jonathan Fricke sent his tee shot into the water.
A little hot about the result, the Covington, Georgia, native turned it into a positive when he presented Connor with his TaylorMade 3-wood he used off the tee.
鈥淗e said I鈥檇 probably do better with it,鈥� Connor said.
鈥淗e came home with it and said, 鈥楲ook what I got,鈥� 鈥� said Cindy, who added the boys had collected about a half-dozen balls each from players during that round.
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